Education Welfare & Attendance Officer

Harris Academy Riverside is a very popular non-selective and highly oversubscribed academy which opened as part of the Harris Federation and the regeneration of the Purfleet on Thames area in 2017. We serve our local community of Purfleet on Thames and West Thurrock and have 900 on roll in the secondary academy and around 200 students in the 6th form.

Vision

Harris Academy Riverside seeks to develop students who are successful, confident and happy, who inspire their community and who act with kindness and compassion towards others.

Ethos

In our procedures and daily routines, our broad and varied curriculum, our pedagogical model and through our commitment to providing experience of the wider world we aim to promote a strong sense of community and belonging, to provide a blend of high challenge and high support and to encourage the development of

• Outstanding habits of behaviour such as self-awareness, kindness, appreciation, humility, politeness, confident self-expression and self-presentation and
• Outstanding habits of learning such as determination, resilience, organisation, reading, studying and practice

The responsibilities of your role will include:

• Overseeing Educational Welfare across the academy
• Managing a caseload of ‘at risk’ students, where attendance falls below 85%, and implement strategies to improve attendance
• Monitoring the attendance of most vulnerable students at the academy
• Managing the process of addressing poor attendance across the academy
• Representing the academy at external meetings e.g. Social Services Case Conferences, Child in Need Meetings, LAC Reviews
• Line management of the Attendance Officer
• Liaising with Academy Leadership Group to address any attendance or welfare concerns
• Assist with the smooth running of the student information centre (SIC)
• Communicating effectively with all external agencies including possible alternative providers
• Ensuring effective communication/consultation as appropriate with parents and carers through phone, letter and home visits as relevant, ensuring student contracts are agreed and monitored
• Liaising with the local authority when cases of poor attendance reach the level of legal intervention, managing the process of evidence sharing and representing the relevant academy at court where necessary
• Maintaining the confidential records of support for all students referred
• Preparing of reports and maintaining records relating to student referrals and subsequent counselling or support

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to undergraduate degree level, or equivalent
• Knowledge of the Academy behaviour for learning policy
• Knowledge of the range of barriers to learning that students face
• Training in child protection and safeguarding procedures
• Basic knowledge of first aid; e.g. emergency first aid course
• Three years’ experience of working in an inner city school or educational establishment in a pastoral capacity
• Experience of dealing successfully with a range of issues influencing poor attendance
• Experience of working with staff to ensure excellent standards of attendance and punctuality are maintained
• Experience of working with families  
• Experience of working with challenging students and parents, and finding ways in which we can meet their needs more successfully 

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.